Self-closing ink-well.



R. D. JONES.

SELF CLOSING INK WELL.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.ll. I918- 1,298,21 9. Patented Mar. 25,1919.

A TTORNEYJ ROBERT D. JONES, OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA;

SELF-CLOSING INK-WELL.

Application filed December 11, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT D. JONES, citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Closing Inkells, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved ink well and has as its primary object to provide a device of this character which will be self closin so that evaporation of the ink will be re need to a minimum while, at the same time, the ink well will be practically dust proof.

The invention has as a further object to provide an ink well employing; a closure member in the nature of a ball or sphere which will be mounted to normally gravitate to position closing the ink well but wherein said member may be easily displaced with a pen when the pen may be dipped into the ink within the well.

And the invention has as a still further ob ject to provide an ink well which will be composed of few and simple parts which may be readily disconnected from each other in order that the ink well may be easily cleaned.

Other and incidental objects will appear during the course of the detailed description of the invention. In the drawings, wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved ink well,

Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view more particularly illustratin the mounting of the closure member of tie ink well, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the top or lid of the device removed from the body of the ink well, the closure member not being illustrated.

In carrying the invention into effect. my improved ink well is formed with a preferably rectangular hollow body 10 on the front wall of which is provided a medially disposed vertical dipping font 11 projecting forwardly from the plane of said front wall and substantially semi-circular in cross section. Formed on the inner face of the front wall at opposite sides of this dipping font are shoulders or ledges 12 extending within Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 25, 1919.

Serial No. 266,260.

the forward corners of the body. Snugly fitting within the body a removable lid 13 therefor. At its side and rear edges the lid is cut away to provide flanges 11 overhanging the upper edges of the body while at its forward end the lid rests upon the ledges. Raised from the lid is a medial enlargement l t and formed in this enlargement to open through the front edge of the lid is a substantially cylindrical bore or channel 15 having its axis tilted downwardly toward its outer end. At its lower side this channel opens through the bottom face of the lid and owing to the tilting of the channel such opening, as clearly brought out in Fig. 3, gradually increases in width toward the outer end of the channel. Consequently. when the lid is in place upon the body 10, as shown in Fig. 2. the channel opens into the dipping font 11.. Freely movable within the channel is a closure member 16 substantially corresponding in radius to the radius of said channel as well as the radius of the dipping font.

It is now to be observed that when the lid 13 is applied, the closure member 16 will.

owing to the forward and downward inelination of the axis of the channel 15, normally gravitate within the channel to roll to the front end thereof. Furthermore, it will be noted that the front edge of the channel lies in a vertical plane intersecting the aXis of the dipping font while the upper edge of the dipping font lies in a horizontal plane intersecting the axis of the channel. Consequently, when the closure member advances to the front end of the channel, said closure member will closely fit within the channel snugly engaging the wall of the dipping font at its upper end for closing the font. The closure member will thus normally gravitate to position closing the ink well and will normally maintain the ink well practically sealed to the outer air. Evaporation of the ink will thus be reduced to a minimum while dust and dirt will be excluded therefrom. However, as will be readily understood, the closure member may be readily displaced from its normal position within the channel by simply pressing the point of a pen thereagainst when the pen point may be .dipped within the font 11 into the ink within the font. Upon the removal of the pen the member 16 will immediately shift to again close the ink well.

It will accordingly be seen that I provide purpose set forth. Furthermore, the ink well is very simple in its construction and, as will be seen, the parts thereof may be readily detached from each other so that th ink well may be easily cleaned.

7 Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

V 1. An ink well including a body provided with a dipping font, a lid closing the body,

and a closure member mounted to gravitate upon the lid to aposition engaging the wall of said font for closing the font.

2. An ink well including a body provided with a forwardly projecting dipping font opening at the upper edge of the body, a lid closing the body and provided with a raised portion having a channel formed therein registering with the font, and a closure member mounted to gravitate within the channel to a position engaging the wall of'the font for closing the font.

'3. An ink well including a body having a forwardly directed dipping font formed thereon opening at the upper edge of the body, a lid normally closing the body and provided with an'inclined channel registering with the dipping font, and a closure member freely movable within said channel to engage the Wall of the font for closing the font.

4. An ink Well including a body provided with an outstanding dipping font opening at the upper edge of the body, a lid normally closing the body and provided with a channel having its axis inclined downwardly toward the font, the outer end of the channel intersecting the axis of'the dipping font in raised portion bored to form a channelopen I ing through the forward end of said raised portion and registering with the font, the

axis of the channel being inclined forwardly and downwardly toward the font, and: a closure member normally .gravitating within the channel to the outer end thereof enga ing the wall of the font for closing the font. 6. An ink well including a body provided with an ink reservoir and having a dipping font adapted to be constantly supplied'with ink from the reservoir, and .a closure member mounted to gravitate to a position engaging the wall of said font for closing the fontQ In testimony whereof I aifix my signature. ROBERT D. JONES. [1,. s.]

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. f r 

